Container.



C. F. MADIGAN & T. WEBSTER.

CONTAINER. v APPLICATION FILED MAY 26, 1915. RENEWED SEPT.29. 1916.

Patented Apr. 10, MI;

ED @TATS AENT FlhlftlEg CORNELIUS F. MADIGAN AND THOMAS WEBSTER, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

CONTAINER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. it), 191?.

Application filed May 26, 1915, Serial No. 30,499. Renewed September 29, 1916. Serial No. 122,942.

To all whom it may concem:

Be it known that we, CORNELIUS F. MAD- IGAN and THoMAs \VEBs'rER, citizens of the United States of America, and residents of the borough of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Containers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a container especially adapted for eggs and in which the eggs are completely cushioned on all sides and at their opposite ends and thereby protected from breakage in handling or transit.

In the drawings,

Figurel is a perspective view of our improved container;

Fig. 2 is a. detail view of one of the parts used in the construction of the same;

Fig. 3 is a section on the line A-A of Fig. 1; and

Fig. i is a section on the line BB of Fig. 1.

Similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several figures of the drawings.

Referring to the drawings, and more particularly to Fig. 1 thereof, our invention is embodied in a structure which may readily be placed in a box 10 of suitable capacity, which in the formillustrated is for three dozen eggs, but which of course may be changed to accommodate any desired number. It may also be considered as illustrative of the well known crate. In this is provided a plurality of transverse and lon- Igitudinal members 11 and 1 2 interlocked to form separate cells or compartments for the individual eggs. The blank forming the members 11 and 12 is shown in Fig. 2, and

is of the same form and construction for both the longitudinal and transverse members, comprising the intermediate portions 14, each separated by vertical slots 15 and 16 spaced a sufficient distance apart to cause the members interlocking therewith to form.

a cushioning space between the different compartments, and end members 17 and 18 separated from the said intermediate portions by single slots 19 spaced from the ends of the blank to form a cushioning space between the member interlocking therewith and the sides of the box. The said slots extend from the bottom to the center of the said members, so that the members running longitudinally interlock with the transverse members, which are identical in form, but are in reversed positions, the slots extending from the upper edge to the middle of the member.

It will be seen that with this construction, all of the compartments are cushioned at each side thereof by unobstructed spaces, which would effectually prevent contact with and breakage of the eggs during ordinary handling of the same. A flexible sheet 20 covering the bottom of the container is provided with upwardly embossed bulges 21 which severally project into the cells of the container. A separable top sheet 30 composed of flexible material, such as cardboard or like matter, covers the top of the container aforesaid and has embossed bulges 31 which project downward into the tops of the several cells. These upwardly and downwardly projecting embossed bulges at the bottoms and tops of the cells serve as end holders for the eggs and automatically adjust themselves within the cells to eggs of different lengths.

A top 22, in the case of a box being used,

is placed over the box, which, upon being central portions and spread at their free portions, as indicated in Figs. 3 and r-i, thereby strengthening the cushioning spaces between the compartments against compres sion and giving a certain break avoiding resiliency. When a crate is used, various layers of separating inner sheets of cardboard are used, which may or may not be embossed as desired. By reason of the fact a that the eggs snugly fit the resilient sides of the compartments, this resiliency compen eating for the varying sizes of the eggs, a

smaller space. is required for the container than with the old, well known forms, where the eggs would lie loosely in the compartments and there were no cushioning spaces between the same. It is, therefore, possible to place in the ordinary crates with our improved construction individual boxes containing say one dozeneggseach, which is the usual quantity retaile and it is unnecessary to examine the eggs at any time during the various processes of distribution to the consumer, as the eggs are absolutely protected from breakage. This entirely eliminates any handling as changing of the eggs, and thereby much saving is occasioned to the sellers of the eggs, and the consumer is assured of receiving the eggs strictly as represented and as packed and sealed at the farm or other producing point. \Vith the old method, as is well known, the crates of eggs must be examined by each party handling the same, and all broken or cracked eggs discarded at a very great loss. lVith our invention as above pointed out, this handling and loss is entirely done away with.

With our improved invention, therefore, a container is provided which thoroughly protects the articles contained therein against compression at all sides, and which because of its simple and inexpensive construction will become very useful in the handling and shipping of eggs, perishable fruit, etc.

We have illustrated a preferred and satisfactory form of our invention, but it is obvious that changes may be made therein within the spirit and scope thereof, as defined in the appended claims.

We claim 1. A container of the character described comprising a series of cells, a separable fiat sheet of flexible material covering the bottom of said container and provided with upward embossed yielding bulges extending into the lower ends of said cells, and a separable flat sheet of flexible material covering the top of said container and having a series of downward embossed yielding bulges extending into the tops of said cells, said upward and downward yielding bulges engaging the opposite ends of the eggs and being automatically adjustable within the cells to the different lengths of the eggs.

2. A container comprising a series of containing cells having laterally yield-able double walls whereof the members are spaced apart, a separable flat flexible sheet provided with upward embossed yielding bulges extending into the lower ends of said cells, and a separable flat flexible sheet covering the top of said container and having a series of downward embossed yielding bulges extending into the tops of said cells, said downward and upward embossed bulges of said flat sheets engaging the opposite ends of the eggs and automatically ad usting themselves Within the cells to the varying lengths of the eggs.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our invention, we have signed our names in presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

CORNELIUS F. MADIGAN. THOMAS WEBSTER.

lVitnesses:

EUGENE A. GALLAGHER, Jos. BISBANO. 

